Happy Halloween!

With 30 minutes left, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. For those who are the opposite of my non-sweet tooth, I hope everyone enjoyed some yummy and sweet treats this weekend. I wasn't able to do many of the essentials: go to a pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins and stuff my face with various candy, but I still had fun. I need to get myself to a Starbucks and drink a Pumpkin Spice Latte stat to get into the fall spirit.


I had a great time with my friends dressed up as some of the Peanut characters. I was Woodstock, Snoopy's trusty sidekick. My friends were Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Linus.


I spent most of the weekend at my friends' house where my friends and I were able to utilize the kitchen. Since it was Ol' Hallows Eve and we were planning to go out, we wanted a quick dinner. I usually get my ideas and inspiration from meals my parents have made and one of my favorites is the spinach pasta my mom makes. It's a very simple recipe, but really hits the spot. You only need a few ingredient: pasta, spinach, garlic, olive oil and we decided to put in chicken. We all really enjoyed it. Thanks mom! One of my friends also went to get day-old bread from Jimmy Johns, which was clutch. We put it in the oven and dipped it in olive oil. Such a great idea and only $.50 a loaf!

Chicken.

Bow Tie pasta, a big favorite.

The final product. With a glass of white wine, of course.

A Day in the Life... Lets Play Dress Up.

It may come to a surprise to people when I say I have a job while I'm in school. I work at the Purdue Memorial Union (our student union which is filled with restaurants, offices, etc.) Bakeshop. It's pretty much a mystery to even my friends because I work at 8am when hardly anyone is up and come back at 12, all in my sweats. I feel that some people don't even think I really work, I just mysteriously disappear for 4 hours! I get to wear sweats to work because I have to change into a chef's coat (10 times too large for myself) and wear a hairnet. Thank goodness the bakery is in the back where I cannot be seen.

So everyone always asks, what do we actually do since there is no actual bakery to purchase the baked goods? There are various restaurants inside the Memorial Union and different outlets around campus that people can buy snacks from. For example, our main library has a mini cafe called Undergrounds and we make muffins, cookies, bars, etc. for them. Also, anytime there is a catered wedding, lunch, dinner, banquet, our Bakeshop provides the dinner rolls, breads, dessert bars, cakes, pies, cookies, brownies... you name it! I help get these platters together and last year I made all the muffins. It's a lot of fun and every work day is different since no parties are the same.

I just wanted to post a little picture of some tuxedo strawberries our bakery makes. I unfortunately don't get to make them. Only the head bakers do, but I just think they are so adorable!

Hilton Head, SC.

Sorry (again...) for the lack of updates. This week was exam and every-project-possible week and I'm surprised my eyes are even open right now. I'm due for a much needed nap, but I wanted to post my little vacation to Hilton Head. I was just thinking about staying around campus during Fall Break to relax and apply to jobs until my friend invited me to go down to Hilton Head with her and another friend. I couldn't say no!!! My friend, Kristin had an internship down there this summer and wanted to go back and visit and she said that October is one of the best times to go. It's not too hot and not too cold and she was right. It was beyond perfect and such a great vacation/relaxation. I miss it so much! Plus, I have never gone to Hilton Head and felt that this was a great opportunity to go somewhere I haven't been or won't get the chance to in the near future. Definitely caught the travel bug in China! We ventured out for our 13 hour drive Thursday night and arrived (very incoherent) Friday morning. We were on a budget so we didn't get to indulge in as much seafood or fine dining as we wanted to, but still had a great time. Leaving Tuesday morning was quite depressing.

Ahhh finally a beach.









We went to this burger chain restaurant called Fuddruckers. I think it is only found in the East/Southeast region. It was great and there is a station where you can put your own toppings on your burger. Plus the fries were delicious and they had free hot cheese and hot jalapeno cheese at the station as well.

The toppings station.

My burger. Ordered with guacamole and I added the usual fixings, plus jalapenos.

Heaven.

On a dolphin cruise. Saw so many dolphins!

Watching the sunset.

Cotton candy sky.

Happy National Noodle Day (yesterday)!

In celebration of National Noodle Day (yesterday), here's a picture of my dad and cousin's favorite noodle shop in Shanghai. My relatives told me they went to eat here everyday. It is amazing that they hand make all the noodles right in front of you and then take it outside to boil. It's so awesome to watch them create noodles from just a slap of dough. Along with a xiao long bao chef, I need a personal noodle maker!

Sorry the shots aren't that great. Hard to get those action shots!



Stretching it out.

The final product.

So lets celebrate to the pho, ramen, udon, noodle soups and all the noodles out there. Thank you for being delicious!

I'm off to Hilton Head in South Carolina this weekend with friends for our Fall Break. Can't wait for the beach, warm weather and relaxation! It's suppose to be in the 80's and sunny, plus we get to experience some Southern hospitality. I haven't gone back to that area since we lived in North Carolina when I was in 2nd grade. I will share pictures when I come back.

Flashbacks Part 2.

Happy National Noodle Day!

I finally found some free time amidst the studying and job searching...and peeling my face away from my computer after I started watching Glee Season 1. As the days pass, I'm always thinking about the summer in China. Not only about how it changed me and taught me so much, but the food was unforgettable. I miss food in China so much and I unfortunately live on a campus where Asian cuisine isn't a speciality. Just being able to hop on the subway and get a delicious and cheap meal at the mall was so fun and of course, delicious. Or just walk down the street to get a $.25 bun. Ahhh those were the days. I really miss it. There was so much variety, it was cheap and good. I probably enjoyed it a little too much judging from my stomach...

Anyways, I would like to go back and reminisce about the good times. There's not a day that goes by where I don't think about beef noodle soup or a xiao long bao. The most important words to know in Chinese are "this one, this one" and a finger to point at the menu :).

The best breakfast ever. Vegetable buns and soybean milk. I was first confused and scared of the soymilk since it came packaged, but everyone drinks it here and it's great. 5 RMB=DEAL.

Just a 5 minute walk down the road for buns galore. They have all kinds: meat, vegetable, big, little, red, white.

Best meal ever. Beef noodle soup with milk bubble tea at Hometown located in the mall. I like my noodles shaved please. Oh and watch out, the hot sauce is fire.

Close up.

Xiao Long Bao from a small hole in the wall.

Ball of Heaven.

Saving enough money to bring a xiao long bao chef back to my house.

Taiwanese shaved ice. A family favorite that I used to be scared of, but now enjoy. I mostly enjoy the mango toppings like this one versus the other kinds with hundreds of toppings.

Thai food galore at Shek-O beach in Hong Kong.

"Spicy noodles" in Beijing. A tradition with my friend and his internship friends. It was just a little corner with food stalls and men drinking beer, eating, smoking and playing card games. He sure knew how to use a wok.

Not brave enough to touch/eat.

Another great breakfast. There are many stalls of this Beijing favorite. Egg with something crunchy in the middle. Words can't explain, but I just know it was good. Eaten before my tour to the Great Wall.

There is so much more, but just wanted to post some of my favorite for now.